Generally, it is well-known to dispense a particulate with a fluid for use in medical procedures. More specifically, the particulate and the fluid are separately received within a fluidization chamber for fluidizing the particulate within the fluid. Once the particulate is fluidized, the fluidized particulate and fluid are initially forced from the fluidization chamber with a generally turbulent flow under the influence of pressure and finally dispensed to beneficially affect the outcome of the medical procedure. For instance, a particulate, such as a coagulant particulate may be fluidized with a fluid, such as a gas, and applied onto an anatomical site for reducing the flow of blood by hemostatic clotting.
Traditionally, the fluidized coagulant particulate and gas are forced along a flow channel of an applicator for delivering the fluidized coagulant to the anatomical site. While the flow channel is useful for directing the fluidized coagulant particulate during a topical application, the flow channel may be especially useful for directing the fluidized coagulant particulate into a patient during a laparoscopic application. However, the fluidized coagulant particulate tends to stratify, or separate, from the gas due to an increasing laminar flow along the flow channel. Coagulant particulate, especially if heavy and/or sticky, tends to fall from the laminar flow and gather into a rivulet stream at a bottom of the flow channel. Thus, the rivulet stream dribbles and/or drools from the applicator while dispensing from the applicator, creating waste and mess near the anatomical site.
Moreover, the fluidized coagulant particulate directed toward the anatomical site contains variable concentrations of the coagulant particulate due to the stratification. For example, high concentrations of coagulant particulate may surge from the applicator, while low concentrations may fail to reach the anatomical site altogether. The variable concentrations of coagulant particulate may ultimately lead to wasted coagulant particulate and increased time of application to the anatomical site.
Traditional attempts for improving the distribution of the fluidized coagulant particulate to uniform density and concentration generally include increasing the amount of gas along the flow channel relative to the coagulant particulate. For example, another fluidization chamber may be added for re-fluidizing the coagulant particulate just before being discharged from the applicator. While this may effectively create a uniform density and concentration of coagulant particulate within the gas, the overall density of the coagulant particulate is reduced. Therefore, the use of the additional fluidization chamber dilutes the coagulant particulate and requires additional time and expense to complete.
There is a need for a mixing tip and method for dispensing a fluid and a particulate, such as a gas and a particulate, that addresses present challenges and characteristics such as those discussed above.